MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has adhered to the recent temporary restraining orders (TROs) issued by the Supreme Court (SC) concerning local candidates for the elections scheduled on May 12.
In its statement, Comelec confirmed that the names of Marie Grace David, Mary Dominique Oñate, and Aldrin Sta. Ana will be added to the official ballots, with reprinting set to commence later this week.
David is a candidate for vice mayor of Limay, Bataan; Oñate is running for mayor of Palompon, Leyte; and Sta. Ana is vying for mayor of Bocaue, Bulacan.
The statement indicated that the Comelec considers the issuance of the three TROs to be timely, as the Commission is currently making essential adjustments to the Election Management System, Automated Election System (AES), Consolidated Canvassing System, and Online Voting and Counting System.
On Friday, the SC issued three additional TROs, following a previous order concerning five candidates, which mandated the Comelec to cease printing at the National Printing Office in Quezon City and to discard six million ballots that had been printed since January 6.
These TROs pertain to decisions regarding nuisance candidates, the disqualification of two senatorial candidates, and the rejection of another candidate’s Certificate of Candidacy.
In response, the Comelec has enacted contingency measures, which include updating the candidate database and rescheduling the Trusted Build of the AES, now set for January 20 at the Palacio del Gobernador main office in Intramuros, Manila.
New ballot templates will be created and serialized at the Comelec warehouse located at Laguna Technopark Annex in Biñan City on January 21. Ballot production is anticipated to resume shortly thereafter./PN
